The Theology of Irenaeus and Tertullian

This paper will compare and contrast the theologies of Irenaeus and Tertullian in regards to their views on baptism, Christology, ecclesiology, and the Trinity, as well as Irenaeus’ unique theory of recapitulation.

On Irenaeus’ view of baptism, Pelikan writes that Irenaeus viewed the story of Namaan the leper in the Old Testament as a type of baptism. Irenaeus wrote, “as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord, from our old transgressions, being spiritually regenerated as newborn babies.”[1] On Tertullian’s view of baptism, Pelikan writes that Tertullian believed that the baptism of John the Baptist was a baptism that pointed to the later baptism in Christ which would be for sanctification and the forgiveness of sins. Pelikan also writes that Tertullian believed that baptism “truly destroyed death by washing away sins.”[2] Tertullian also believed that the Holy Spirit was given to believers at the time of their baptism. Pelikan writes, “The conferral of the Holy Spirit in conjunction with baptism was the principal doctrinal point in Tertullian’s On Baptism…”[3]

As far as the Christology of Irenaeus is concerned, Irenaeus fought against the heresies of the Marcionites who claimed that Jesus was not truly physically human, but actually more of a spirit who only appeared to perhaps have the physical characteristics of a human.[4] Irenaeus fought hard against this idea believing that the physical suffering of Christ was key in his salvation of humanity. Christ did not appear in order to save humanity from its physicality. Instead, Christ came as a fully physical human in order to restore that which had been distorted. In this view, the creation is not evil and in need of destruction. It is created good, and in need of redemption through Christ’s physical suffering due to its corruption through the Fall.[5]

Tertullian’s views of the death of Christ leaned more towards the idea of “satisfaction.” In this idea, one party has committed some sort of offense or crime and must pay the penalty for what they have done. The debt they have created must be satisfied. Through Christ’s death on the cross, this debt is satisfied. Mankind is no longer in debt to God because through Christ God has made “satisfaction” for our sins. According to McGrath, Irenaeus also held to a sort of ransom idea in which God liberates humanity from the power of Satan.[6]

Irenaeus also had a high view of the church, believing that the church was the body of Christ. He believed that the church and the various means of grace associated with the church were the ways in which God revealed himself to mankind in the Holy Spirit.[7] The church and the sacraments of the church were the primary means by which the grace of God was made manifest in people’s lives. He believed that the Spirit of God was truly present in the church and within the members of the church, and that through the church God’s salvation would be revealed to the world because through the church Christ was revealed and through Christ God was revealed. Irenaeus wrote, “Where the church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God is, there is the church, and every kind of grace.”[8] In this is also seen Irenaeus’ belief in the triune nature of God, many of these views he shared with Tertullian, who was one of the church’s key theologians in early Trinitarian discussion.

Tertullian as well had a very high opinion of the church, seeing it as the representation of Christ in the world. Tertullian was also firm in his belief in the necessity of the holiness of the church. He believed that God’s people were holy people, and that just by the role that they had in the form of the church they were holy in the eyes of God.

Irenaeus also believed in an idea known as recapitulation.[9] In this theory, he presents the idea that mankind was created in both the image and likeness of God in a state of growth where mankind would grow closer to God in relation as well as knowledge. Irenaeus believed that God had created men and women with the potential to grow beyond what they already were, to become something greater than they were originally.[10] However, humanity lost its direction and communion with God, so God sent Christ into the world in order to redeem humanity and bring us back into the process of growth towards God on which we had once been. Tertullian believed that mankind had been created in the image and likeness of God and that because of the Fall, mankind was in need of Christ’s death on the cross to pay for our crimes. Through Christ’s death, mankind would be restored by the Holy Spirit back into the holy state in which they were created.

Irenaeus went further than this in his beliefs, saying that it was not only for humanity’s redemption that Christ came into the world. He believed that Christ would have come regardless of whether or not mankind lost its way.[11] The goal of the creation of humanity was that they might be always growing closer to God. The incarnation of Christ would have happened regardless of the Fall because in Christ mankind is united with God in a unique way. God becomes even more united with mankind because of His becoming flesh in Christ, and through the Spirit of Christ mankind becomes even more united with God. Irenaeus sees the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as evidence for this, showing that God has placed humanity back on the right track in growth towards Himself.[12]




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[1] Irenaeus. Quoted in Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition. Vol. 1 of The Christian Tradition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971.
[2] Pelikan.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] (ed.) Alister McGrath.The Christian Theology Reader. (Blackwell Pub.: Malden, MA), 2007.
[7] Pelikan.
[8] Irenaeus. Quoted in Pelikan,
[9] Kim, Dai Sil. "Irenaeus of Lyons and Teilhard de Chardin: a comparative study of 'Recapitulation' and 'Omega.'" Journal of Ecumenical Studies 13, no. 1 (December 1, 1976): 69-93.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Kim.
[12] Ibid.